RAPID FLU/STREP DIAGNOSIS

•  Meijer, CVS and Walgreens have pharmacists and nurse practitioners who conduct rapid flu/strep diagnosis.

•  Walgreens conducts A & B rapid flu testing and releases the results in 15 minutes.

•  CVS Pharmacy offers rapid flu and strep test through physician assistants at its MinuteClinic locations.

•  RediClinic, Rite Aid's pharmacy service, offers instant diagnosis for five ailments including flu and strep.

•  Publix pharmacies offer diagnostic tests for flu and strep.

•  Magnolia Pharmacy in Magnolia, Texas offers rapid flu and strep testing.

•  Rx Clinic Pharmacy in Charlotte, North Carolina offers rapid flu and strep testing.

FLU ANTIVIRAL PRESCRIPTION AGREEMENTS

• Kroger pharmacy was involved in collaborative practice agreement (CPA) training for Salt Lake City area pharmacies to prescribe flu antiviral medications, but it is not clear whether Kroger has secured the agreement.

• Rx Clinic Pharmacy has a procedure where they call the prescriber of Tamiflu for the treatment of flu after a positive test result and request for a prescription to be sent by phone or fax where they do not have collaborative practice agreements.

RESEARCH STRATEGY

STATISTICS RELATED TO THE SPREAD OF FLU/STREP DURING THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SEASON

• The national baseline in the US for flu infection is 2.2%, with flu being defined as a fever with a temperature of 100°F [37.8°C] or greater, accompanied with coughs and/or a sore throat, commonly known as influenza-like illness (ILI).
• Group A strep pharyngitis (strep throat) usually occurs most commonly among children ages 5-15.
• During week 32, ending August 11, 2018, of the Influenza Season, 0.7% of visits of patients due to ILI was reported by the US Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet).
• According to estimates by medical experts, group A strep, which is the most commonly identified bacterial cause of infection, causes between 20% to 30% of episodes of pharyngitis in children.
• There was one case of influenza-associated pediatric death reported by the CDC during week 34 of the 2017-2018 Influenza Season, with week 34 ending August 25, 2018 (back-to-school season).
• The risk factors that significantly increase the chances of spreading strep infection include conditions such as crowding, which is a common occurrence for example in schools, military barracks, and daycare centers.
• Among the commonly-known risk factors that increase the chance of a person getting serious complications from the flu are asthma, neurodevelopment and neurologic conditions, blood disorders such as sickle cell disease, and a weakened immune system.
• The northern areas of the United States are regional areas that are slightly more affected by strep throat even as much as the infection is experienced throughout the nation as well.
• Treating a person who is affected by strep with an antibiotic for at least 24 hours or longer generally helps eliminate the threat they pose in spreading the bacteria even further. Therefore, it is usually recommended that people with strep stay home from work, school, or daycare, up to such a time when they are afebrile and at least 24 hours have elapsed since they began the appropriate antibiotic therapy.

HELPFUL FINDINGS

• Greater technology has lead to increased accuracy and savings in the influenza diagnostic market, which in turn is increasing the demand for diagnostic products.
• A paid report on global influenza diagnostic trends could be reviewed to gain an insight into the overall global trend, which is expected to compound annually with a growth rate of 6.4%.
• While this paid report is on the global strep testing market, the report will go into detail specific to the US and industry leaders.
• A paid report on the global influenza market not only lists the growth trends for the market, but also information on industry leaders, including their supplier and marketing information.
• Additional paid reports show the key vendors in the global rapid influenza diagnostic tests market, as well as their drivers and challenges.

Research Strategy

BD Veritor Plus

• BD Veritor Plus is an immunoassay test for diagnosis of influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and group A strep used in hospitals, clinics, physician offices to get the results within minutes.
• In 2017, BD Veritor Plus System received approval for testing influenza A7B and strep A by modifying the previous BD Veritor System Flu A+B test which was approved in 2011.
• The annual report of Becton Dickinson & Co. does not provide details on its sales and market share.

Cobas® Liat System-Roche

• Cobas Liat PCR system is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology test for the diagnosis of influenza A and B, Cdiff, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and group A strep. The results are produced within 15 minutes for a Strep A diagnosis and 20 minutes for an Influenza A/B diagnosis.
• In 2018, Roche sold more than 1500 Cobas Liat PCR systems in the US.
• Roche Diagnostics had revenue of CHF 2.91 billion (USD2,231,857,398.77) in 2018 but did not detail on Cobas Liat PCR system sales.
• Roche's annual report states that Cobas Liat has high demand in North America and EMEA but did not quote any supporting revenue figures specific to the United States.

Abbott’s Influenza A & B 2 and Strep A 2 Molecular Assays

• Abbott received FDA approval for Influenza A & B 2 and Strep A 2 molecular assays in October 2018.
• Alere Scarborough, Inc. received FDA approval for Influenza and Respiratory Viruses.
• Influenza A & B, Strep A, RSV testing kit, and Alere is acquired by Abbott. 

Additional Insights

• Companies such as Cephid have testing products for flu as well as Strep A. However, they do not have an integrated product which is capable of diagnosing both.
•  Key players in Streptococci testing market are Roche Diagnostics, Novartis Diagnostics, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Sigma Aldrich, Abbott Diagnostics, Beckman Coulter, bioMerieux, DiaSorin, Hologic, Qiagen, and Thermo Fischer Scientific.
•  Key players in Influenza diagnostic market include Becton, Dickinson and Company, Roche Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Alere, and Quidel Corporation.

YOUR RESEARCH TEAM APPLIED THE FOLLOWING STRATEGY: